performance

Rethinking “Fitness” – Industry Trends and Loading Parameters

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Rethinking “Fitness”

I got to spend this past weekend in Alexandria, VA where I was invited to present at the IDEA Personal Trainer Institute – an annual convention geared toward presenting the latest, greatest fitness/health/strength & conditioning ideas to personal trainers interested in becoming more highly skilled professionals.

On Friday, I presented for 3 hours on, what else – you guessed it – kettlebell training in an interactive lecture called “Kettlebell Fundamentals: Laying A Foundation of Success.” I introduced a group of 75 people to RKC principles and taught the basics of the Swing, Get Up, and the Goblet Squat. It was great to see so many people interested in kettlebell training.

It was great to see people grasp some of the major concepts. However, as wonderfully organized as this conference was, I am disturbed to see still just how complicated we, as professionals, have attempted to make “getting in shape.”

For example, I chose to use very simple language in my presentation painting pictures with words, and still many people wanted to know the 17 steps to a perfect Swing. What’s the exact knee angle during the Swing? How about the incline of the torso to the floor? And, honestly, it’s not their fault. It’s what they’ve been conditioned (unknowingly) to accept, look for, and embrace. Many couldn’t grasp the concept that as long as you felt the hamstrings and gluts at a bare minimum on the Swing, we were doing great. Again – not their fault – I believe it’s conditioning.

That’s of course why I value the kettlebell and the RKC methods so much – Swing the kettlebell, put it down. Repeat. Sweat. Get results. Of course there’s a little bit more to it than that, but not really that much more.

We, as professionals, are always looking for the next great big secret that will give us that extra edge, both with ourselves and in our businesses. The truth is, we could find those secrets just by practicing much of what we already know and if we wouldn’t let ourselves become distracted with bright shiny objects – which I myself have been guilty of many, many times in my career. The more scientific something sounds, and the more letters the guy has after his name, the more we are likely to embrace it. I know that was certainly my case in the past. I got caught on that 2 or 3 times.

Just so we’re clear – I’m NOT ragging on the IDEA conference here – it was great, wonderfully organized, and opened up a lot of possibilities to a lot of my fellow professionals seeking to improve their knowledge and their clients’ lives. What I am saying is that as an industry, we are still attempting to make things more complicated instead of less so.

Which brings me full circle to the kettlebell and of course the miracle that we call the body.

Ultimately, at the end of the day, we should be able to do anything that we choose with our bodies (within reason) and not only survive, but thrive. At least that’s what I believe. The kettlebell is a great tool to aid in that objective.

Speaking of, I had the privilege of teaching my first “Kettlebell Burn” seminar on Saturday morning. We had 21 people (I think) pack into the room and it was just fantastic to be able to help explain the methodology behind “Burn” and show them how to implement it into their own training. Great stuff – and so much fun for me to be able to share.

I then ran back over to the IDEA conference where I put about 60 people through a workout called “Rethinking Bodyweight Training” which was based on the bodyweight Get Up and its variations. I’d like to publicly thank Brett Jones, Gray Cook, and Jeff O’Connor for the influence they’ve had on me and my implementation of the GU into my training and my clients’ training. Nothing but positive results. Anyway, I got to share some of these ideas with these fine professionals on Saturday – 60 minutes of non-stop rolling around on the floor and getting up and down in and through various positions of the Get Up. I think most were surprised at how demanding of an exercise it could be without any form of external loading. Imagine how much fun that would be with a light kettlebell! (On a side note – it was great to have two fellow RKCs in the room.)

I hope that these fellow professionals saw the value in all the work they did that afternoon and will further investigate the wonderful benefits of the Get Up.

I’d like to think that in some small way I was able to help my fellow professionals rethink fitness in the simplest of terms – what can you do with your body compared to what you want to do with it.

On Loading Parameters…

It’s no secret that I want to lift fast and heavy. But the really strange thing is that overall, I feel much better lately NOT lifting fast and heavy. So, I’m rethinking my loading parameters and digging back into the archives. I’m running a 30 day experiment on loading parameters to see what this particular range and kind will do for my body. There’s some science to support my efforts so I look forward to reporting back to you about my successes around the end of March.

What am I doing? I’m not ready to say, but I will say it’s much different than anything that I have done over the last 15 years or so. Much different.

I’m experimenting on myself because I think it will help quite a few of you out – not to mention of course the benefits that I will receive. 😉

That’s all for today – gotta bounce. In the meantime feel free to drop a comment how you’ve tried to make getting in shape more complicated than it need be and what you did to overcome it.

On Kettlebell Workouts And Pain…

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A buddy of mine sent me an email the other day and asked me how I coped with pain and still manage to do my  kettlebell workouts. He’s had some serious setbacks since September and was feeling discouraged.

So I thought I’d write a little bit about it today.

It’s funny – because I honestly haven’t felt too much pain anywhere in the last year – and more imporantly, I’ve felt so good I  haven’t focused on pain in any way shape or form. Occasionally when it does rear it’s head – it’s minimally prohibiting and 9.9 times out of 10 I can make it go away and do whatever I want.

It hasn’t always been so.

From 2002 to the end of 2009, I’d been focused on getting out of and avoiding pain.

What am I doing differently now?

Well, I had spent some time doing FMS correctives, and they worked pretty well. I liked them. Challenging. Fun.

Then I started making my own stuff up based on the FMS correctives I learned and some other stuff. (The reality is, I probably am just “re-inventing” something someone else has done…)

And then I started focusing on performance.

What could I do on any given day? And then I started thinking “Screw that – I should be able to do whatever I want on any given day!” And so I’ve been focused on that.

And that’s how I think we should view our kettlebell workouts – or any training for that matter.

We should get out bodies to the place where we can do anything we want to do at any given time. (I’ve been doing some tumbling and rolling lately and ran the stadium stairs on Sunday for the first time in 8 years – because I wanted to.)

How do we do that?

  1. If you’re in pain, go see a doc and get cleared medically. If things still don’t seem right, go see a specialist. Health first, then performance.
  2. Do the best you can not to train in painful movements. Don’t confuse discomfort with pain. Pain is throbbing, sharp and achey. Discomfort is not.
  3. Train in areas that you can move freely in and are fun and enjoyable.
  4. If you are restricted and have been cleared by your doc, go see someone like an FMS practitioner who will actually measure your movement capabilites and give a reference point – a starting point from which to work. Schedule follow up visits every 30 days to assess your progress.
  5. Do physical activity that is fun. (Did I mention that already?)
  6. Learn fun (that word again) and new physical skills. (I’m going to start investigating Grip Training)
  7. Keep a positive attitude – it’s not always going to be this way – it’ll get better. A positive attitude will actually help the process along.

Realize that whether you like it or not, you’ve “earned” the body you’re in right now. It may take you some time to get around your pain and movement dysfunction, but view it as a learning experience. I did. My understanding of the human body, coaching, and business have all flourished because of my “pain.” I’m thankful for having walked that path because it made me a better man.

Finally, don’t own your pain.

It’s not a part of you.

Not really.

It’s just an indicator – kinda like the “check engine” light – it’s there when you need it. Don’t look for it to always be on. Take care of the issues and it’ll most likely rarely come on again.

If you’ve still got some pain and have been cleared by your doc – a good place to start changing your movement patterns is with an Functional Movement Screen. If you don’t have access to an FMS practioner, start with Brett Jones and Gray Cook’s “Secrets of…” series – especially “Secrets of Primitive Patterns.” It’s probably the MOST UNDERATED  and highly beneficial DVD they have, in my ever-so-humble opinion.

If that doesn’t sound good to you, another great place to start is with Kettlebells From the Ground Up. It’s packed with what I call “safe movements” (another blog post) and everybody I know who’s used it, including myself, has benefited from it.

That’s all I’ve got time for right now – I’ve gotta go off and train. Fun and pain free.

Hopefully you’ve found some of these ideas helpful.

What Is The “Kettlebell Sandwich?”

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When I was a kid, and even well into college, I lived off sandwiches. My favorite as a child was Oscar Meyer salami, Velveeta cheese, and Kosciusco mustard (if that’s how it’s even spelled – it’s been so long). Man, I could eat tons of them! In fact, there was awhile when I was a wee one that it was the only sandwich I remembered that I would eat! So good!

In college I moved on to more exotic things, like Gyros from the “Grease Trucks” at Rutgers. Man that tsziki sauce is great! But I never did man up and get a Fat Cat – 2 burgers, cheese, fries and some other stuff all on a sub roll.

Of course you have your favorite sandwiches and of course you’re probably wondering what sandwiches have to do with kettlebell training, if anything at all.

Lots, actually.

The “Sandwich” is #4 on the list of “5 Ways To Successfully Mix Kettlebells And Barbells.”

4. The “Sandwich”

Essentially, the Sandwich is placing kettlebell work before and after your barbell work – “sandwiching” your barbell work between them.

My current favorite Kettlebell Sandwich is to use the Get Up as “movement prep” – actually more of  a “systems check” – to ensure that everything is working correctly, most times, it is. But on the off chance that something is stuck or glitched up, the GU lets me know where to go to fix it. Then, when my barbell work is through, I use the GU again as yet another “systems check” – to let me know that I didn’t do anything stupid under the bar and if I did, what to correct. More often or not, the Get Up is a powerful correction in and of itself anyway.

But that’s just me.

If I was really into “conditioning” right now, I’d toss in some Swings after my barbell work and hit some intervals. I may even throw in some Snatches and see what I could get in a certain time period.

It doesn’t matter really how you do it, as long as you do what’s right for you at this current stage and phase of your training. Mixing kettlebells into your barbell training shouldn’t be haphazard – it should have a purpose and that main purpose is to move you further ahead to achieving your goals.

Here are three samples of how to build your own Kettlebell Sandwich:

1. Movement Prep/Finisher. You warm up with some movement prep pertinent to your main goal, then perform barbell work du jour, then pick your favorite kettlebell finisher to end the training session to focus on conditioning.

Here’s an example:

A. Movement Prep: 1/2 GU, 1/2 Kneeling Windmill w/ Press, Get Up

B. Barbell Work: Heavy Pulling – High Pulls, Rows, etc

C. Finisher: H-2-H Swings, 10 minutes, as many as possible.

2. Movement Prep/Movement Recap. Touched on this with the Get Up. But you could also use other exercises like the RKC Armbar, the Windmill, the Single Leg Deadlift, etc. Here is an example:

A. Movement Prep: RKC Armbar, 1/2 GU, SLDL, Windmill – 3-5 reps each.

B. Main Training Session: Heavy Pushing. Barbell Press. Barbell Incline Press. Board Presses.

C. Movement Recap/Screen: RKC Armbar, Get Up – reps by feel.

3. Feeder/Finisher. You could use kettlebells as feeders for your barbell work (see this post) and after your barbell work was done, use the kettlebells as finishers.

I’m sure there are many more ways to build your own Kettlebell Sandwich, but these three should be a good start for you. Agian, let me once again say, that you should sandwich your kettlebells around your barbell work in a way that makes sense for your goals. It shouldn’t be willy-nilly. (Did I just type “willy-nilly?” Wonder where that came from…?) There should be a point and you should be able to measure progress from it, in both the kettlebell work, your ability to move, and more importantly, your barbell work.

Next time we’ll be invetigating the idea of “blocks.” It’ll be good. It’s my favorite way to mix kettlebells and barbells.

Part 1 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-with-barbells/

Part 2 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-and-barbells-part-2/

Part 3 – https://chasingstrength.com/5-ways-to-successfully-mix-kettlebells-and-barbells-part-3/

Real v. Self-Imposed Limitations

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Have you ever wondered what your true limitations are?

Have you ever wanted to really find them? I don’t suggest you do, but if you want to, compete in a sport. It’ll tell you a lot about what you think you can do, versus what you actually can do, and then you’ll have a map to follow in your training.

But what about after you’ve found them the hard way – by testing them too often and under the wrong conditions?

Maybe that’s happened to you – you’ve gotten injured, maybe badly, and you’re now “gun shy.”

I experienced this yesterday. (Of course you probably figured that out already since I’m writing about it…)

As you may know, I’ve spent half the last decade rehabbing injuries. That’s a long time for sure. Unfortunately, I think I may have become “over-cautious.” I don’t want to become reckless and nor do I suggest you do so either. That’s not what I’m suggesting at all. But what about a periodic “gut check?” Maybe just a little test of the ol’ mettle based on what you think you can do now?

I stumbled upon this quite by accident yesterday. I spent the better part of the day between emails, faxes, and phone calls with my insurance company. By the end of the day, my aggravation levels were sky-high.

So what’d I do?

The only exercise I know of that is really a “cure-all” for me – the Back Squat.

Yup, I just got my pattern back last week – the old, strong pattern. So what I do yesterday? I tested myself on it of course! No, I didn’t RM or anything that stupid, but I did “gut-check” myself. As part of the baseline that tells me that I’m getting in weightlifting shape, there’s a certain load and volume in a certain time period that I can hit as the start of my pre-competition training. It’s the baseline of the baseline if you will.

So yesterday, I just said, “You know what, this is stupid. I’ve been training smart lately. I should be able to hit those numbers without even thinking about it, let alone training for it.”

So I did.

And I learned something.

I learned the following:

  1. My training lately has been exactly where it needs to be – it has served me well.
  2. My body is firing on all cylinders – I’m keenly aware of  all the right muscles that worked as I type this.
  3. That I have been conservative in my training – and it has helped me.
  4. That I had a self-imposed mental limitation – I didn’t think I was ready for that workload. But not only was I, it was of the highest quality and it surpassed my expectations!

So what’s the take home for us?

  1. Have a plan that you can follow that balances your goals with your current abilities and your limitations.
  2. Don’t “workout” – Train. Have a plan. (Did I say that already…?)
  3. Be confident enough to step outside your comfort zone every once in a while – set up some sort of test or challenge. I suggest it somewhat mirrors your training plan – don’t go run a 5K if you’re training for a powerlifting meet…
  4. Expect that your plan is working and then keep working the plan.
  5. Don’t set limitations on yourself – think BIG!

As for me, I’m still thinking big. My numbers are moving right along and if everything goes according to plan, I should hit some pretty big numbers – PRs by Christmas time, if not before.

What are you training for and have you set realistic expectations or self-imposed limitations?

Again?? A Quick Training Update…

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Yup, I’m at it again.

I’m back training for Oly. (And hypertrophy…)

I have unfinished business. And business is good.

Right now, if I had to enter a meet tomorrow, I could easily Snatch 120kg and Jerk 150kg. (Easily Power Cleaned 130kg for a double. Nothing to write home about, but it’s been a couple of years. And it’s a start.)

I’m getting under the bar almost effortlessly for the first time in, well, maybe ever. This is how it’s meant to feel.

And my body’s holding up fine. Hips are great. Knees are great. Nothing’s holding me back.

Ok, maybe one thing – my leg strength is a little down. But it’s on it’s way back very quickly. And I just re-patterned my Back Squat yesterday. No popping in my left knee – a sure signal that my left hip was “online” and not shutting down.

Tomorrow is a heavy pulling day – lots of volume to pack on usable muscle to the ol’ upper back. Fun, fun, fun!

I fully expect to Snatch 140kg by Christmas, quite possibly even Jerk 180kg. At this pace, it will happen. Just gotta get it done in a meet.

More later…

Quick Training Tip: Here’s something Alfonso taught me back in ’97 (Wish I’d listened a little better…) Don’t let your speed decrease. When it does, you should switch exercises or stop your training session.